The Fourth World Conference on Women
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Chapter 1. Resolution 1. Annex II - The Beijing Platform for Action
IV. Strategic Objectives and Actions
C. Women and health*
Strategic objective C.1.
Strategic objective C.2.
Strategic objective C.3.
Strategic objective C.4.
Strategic objective C.5.
89. Women have the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable
standard of physical and mental health. The enjoyment of this right is vital to their life
and well-being and their ability to participate in all areas of public and private life.
Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity. Women's health involves their emotional, social and
physical well-being and is determined by the social, political and economic context of
their lives, as well as by biology. However, health and well-being elude the majority of
women. A major barrier for women to the achievement of the highest attainable standard of
health is inequality, both between men and women and among women in different geographical
regions, social classes and indigenous and ethnic groups. In national and international
forums, women have emphasized that to attain optimal health throughout the life cycle,
equality, including the sharing of family responsibilities, development and peace are
necessary conditions.
90. Women have different and unequal access to and use of basic health
resources, including primary health services for the prevention and treatment of childhood
diseases, malnutrition, anaemia, diarrhoeal diseases, communicable diseases, malaria and
other tropical diseases and tuberculosis, among others. Women also have different and
unequal opportunities for the protection, promotion and maintenance of their health. In
many developing countries, the lack of emergency obstetric services is also of particular
concern. Health policies and programmes often perpetuate gender stereotypes and fail to
consider socio-economic disparities and other differences among women and may not fully
take account of the lack of autonomy of women regarding their health. Women's health is
also affected by gender bias in the health system and by the provision of inadequate and
inappropriate medical services to women.
91. In many countries, especially developing countries, in particular the
least developed countries, a decrease in public health spending and, in some cases,
structural adjustment, contribute to the deterioration of public health systems. In
addition, privatization of health-care systems without appropriate guarantees of universal
access to affordable health care further reduces health-care availability. This situation
not only directly affects the health of girls and women, but also places disproportionate
responsibilities on women, whose multiple roles, including their roles within the family
and the community, are often not acknowledged; hence they do not receive the necessary
social, psychological and economic support.
92. Women's right to the enjoyment of the highest standard of health must
be secured throughout the whole life cycle in equality with men. Women are affected by
many of the same health conditions as men, but women experience them differently. The
prevalence among women of poverty and economic dependence, their experience of violence,
negative attitudes towards women and girls, racial and other forms of discrimination, the
limited power many women have over their sexual and reproductive lives and lack of
influence in decision-making are social realities which have an adverse impact on their
health. Lack of food and inequitable distribution of food for girls and women in the
household, inadequate access to safe water, sanitation facilities and fuel supplies,
particularly in rural and poor urban areas, and deficient housing conditions, all
overburden women and their families and have a negative effect on their health. Good
health is essential to leading a productive and fulfilling life, and the right of all
women to control all aspects of their health, in particular their own fertility, is basic
to their empowerment.
93. Discrimination against girls, often resulting from son preference, in
access to nutrition and health-care services endangers their current and future health and
well-being. Conditions that force girls into early marriage, pregnancy and child-bearing
and subject them to harmful practices, such as female genital mutilation, pose grave
health risks. Adolescent girls need, but too often do not have, access to necessary health
and nutrition services as they mature. Counselling and access to sexual and reproductive
health information and services for adolescents are still inadequate or lacking
completely, and a young woman's right to privacy, confidentiality, respect and informed
consent is often not considered. Adolescent girls are both biologically and psychosocially
more vulnerable than boys to sexual abuse, violence and prostitution, and to the
consequences of unprotected and premature sexual relations. The trend towards early sexual
experience, combined with a lack of information and services, increases the risk of
unwanted and too early pregnancy, HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases,
as well as unsafe abortions. Early child-bearing continues to be an impediment to
improvements in the educational, economic and social status of women in all parts of the
world. Overall, for young women early marriage and early motherhood can severely curtail
educational and employment opportunities and are likely to have a long-term, adverse
impact on the quality of their lives and the lives of their children. Young men are often
not educated to respect women's self-determination and to share responsibility with women
in matters of sexuality and reproduction.
94. Reproductive health is a state of complete physical, mental and social
well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters relating to
the reproductive system and to its functions and processes. Reproductive health therefore
implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life and that they have the
capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so.
Implicit in this last condition are the right of men and women to be informed and to have
access to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of family planning of their
choice, as well as other methods of their choice for regulation of fertility which are not
against the law, and the right of access to appropriate health-care services that will
enable women to go safely through pregnancy and childbirth and provide couples with the
best chance of having a healthy infant. In line with the above definition of reproductive
health, reproductive health care is defined as the constellation of methods, techniques
and services that contribute to reproductive health and well-being by preventing and
solving reproductive health problems. It also includes sexual health, the purpose of which
is the enhancement of life and personal relations, and not merely counselling and care
related to reproduction and sexually transmitted diseases.
95. Bearing in mind the above definition, reproductive rights embrace
certain human rights that are already recognized in national laws, international human
rights documents and other consensus documents. These rights rest on the recognition of
the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the
number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do
so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health. It
also includes their right to make decisions concerning reproduction free of
discrimination, coercion and violence, as expressed in human rights documents. In the
exercise of this right, they should take into account the needs of their living and future
children and their responsibilities towards the community. The promotion of the
responsible exercise of these rights for all people should be the fundamental basis for
government- and community-supported policies and programmes in the area of reproductive
health, including family planning. As part of their commitment, full attention should be
given to the promotion of mutually respectful and equitable gender relations and
particularly to meeting the educational and service needs of adolescents to enable them to
deal in a positive and responsible way with their sexuality. Reproductive health eludes
many of the world's people because of such factors as: inadequate levels of knowledge
about human sexuality and inappropriate or poor-quality reproductive health information
and services; the prevalence of high-risk sexual behaviour; discriminatory social
practices; negative attitudes towards women and girls; and the limited power many women
and girls have over their sexual and reproductive lives. Adolescents are particularly
vulnerable because of their lack of information and access to relevant services in most
countries. Older women and men have distinct reproductive and sexual health issues which
are often inadequately addressed.
96. The human rights of women include their right to have control over and
decide freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality, including sexual and
reproductive health, free of coercion, discrimination and violence. Equal relationships
between women and men in matters of sexual relations and reproduction, including full
respect for the integrity of the person, require mutual respect, consent and shared
responsibility for sexual behaviour and its consequences.
97. Further, women are subject to particular health risks due to
inadequate responsiveness and lack of services to meet health needs related to sexuality
and reproduction. Complications related to pregnancy and childbirth are among the leading
causes of mortality and morbidity of women of reproductive age in many parts of the
developing world. Similar problems exist to a certain degree in some countries with
economies in transition. Unsafe abortions threaten the lives of a large number of women,
representing a grave public health problem as it is primarily the poorest and youngest who
take the highest risk. Most of these deaths, health problems and injuries are preventable
through improved access to adequate health-care services, including safe and effective
family planning methods and emergency obstetric care, recognizing the right of women and
men to be informed and to have access to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable
methods of family planning of their choice, as well as other methods of their choice for
regulation of fertility which are not against the law, and the right of access to
appropriate health-care services that will enable women to go safely through pregnancy and
childbirth and provide couples with the best chance of having a healthy infant. These
problems and means should be addressed on the basis of the report of the International
Conference on Population and Development, with particular reference to relevant paragraphs
of the Programme of Action of the Conference. 14/ In most countries, the neglect of
women's reproductive rights severely limits their opportunities in public and private
life, including opportunities for education and economic and political empowerment. The
ability of women to control their own fertility forms an important basis for the enjoyment
of other rights. Shared responsibility between women and men in matters related to sexual
and reproductive behaviour is also essential to improving women's health.
98. HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, the transmission of
which is sometimes a consequence of sexual violence, are having a devastating effect on
women's health, particularly the health of adolescent girls and young women. They often do
not have the power to insist on safe and responsible sex practices and have little access
to information and services for prevention and treatment. Women, who represent half of all
adults newly infected with HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, have
emphasized that social vulnerability and the unequal power relationships between women and
men are obstacles to safe sex, in their efforts to control the spread of sexually
transmitted diseases. The consequences of HIV/AIDS reach beyond women's health to their
role as mothers and caregivers and their contribution to the economic support of their
families. The social, developmental and health consequences of HIV/AIDS and other sexually
transmitted diseases need to be seen from a gender perspective.
99. Sexual and gender-based violence, including physical and psychological
abuse, trafficking in women and girls, and other forms of abuse and sexual exploitation
place girls and women at high risk of physical and mental trauma, disease and unwanted
pregnancy. Such situations often deter women from using health and other services.
100. Mental disorders related to marginalization, powerlessness and
poverty, along with overwork and stress and the growing incidence of domestic violence as
well as substance abuse, are among other health issues of growing concern to women. Women
throughout the world, especially young women, are increasing their use of tobacco with
serious effects on their health and that of their children. Occupational health issues are
also growing in importance, as a large number of women work in low-paid jobs in either the
formal or the informal labour market under tedious and unhealthy conditions, and the
number is rising. Cancers of the breast and cervix and other cancers of the reproductive
system, as well as infertility affect growing numbers of women and may be preventable, or
curable, if detected early.
101. With the increase in life expectancy and the growing number of older
women, their health concerns require particular attention. The long-term health prospects
of women are influenced by changes at menopause, which, in combination with life-long
conditions and other factors, such as poor nutrition and lack of physical activity, may
increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Other diseases of ageing and
the interrelationships of ageing and disability among women also need particular
attention.
102. Women, like men, particularly in rural areas and poor urban areas,
are increasingly exposed to environmental health hazards owing to environmental
catastrophes and degradation. Women have a different susceptibility to various
environmental hazards, contaminants and substances and they suffer different consequences
from exposure to them.
103. The quality of women's health care is often deficient in various
ways, depending on local circumstances. Women are frequently not treated with respect, nor
are they guaranteed privacy and confidentiality, nor do they always receive full
information about the options and services available. Furthermore, in some countries,
over-medicating of women's life events is common, leading to unnecessary surgical
intervention and inappropriate medication.
104. Statistical data on health are often not systematically collected,
disaggregated and analysed by age, sex and socio-economic status and by established
demographic criteria used to serve the interests and solve the problems of subgroups, with
particular emphasis on the vulnerable and marginalized and other relevant variables.
Recent and reliable data on the mortality and morbidity of women and conditions and
diseases particularly affecting women are not available in many countries. Relatively
little is known about how social and economic factors affect the health of girls and women
of all ages, about the provision of health services to girls and women and the patterns of
their use of such services, and about the value of disease prevention and health promotion
programmes for women. Subjects of importance to women's health have not been adequately
researched and women's health research often lacks funding. Medical research, on heart
disease, for example, and epidemiological studies in many countries are often based solely
on men; they are not gender specific. Clinical trials involving women to establish basic
information about dosage, side-effects and effectiveness of drugs, including
contraceptives, are noticeably absent and do not always conform to ethical standards for
research and testing. Many drug therapy protocols and other medical treatments and
interventions administered to women are based on research on men without any investigation
and adjustment for gender differences.
105. In addressing inequalities in health status and unequal access to and
inadequate health-care services between women and men, Governments and other actors should
promote an active and visible policy of mainstreaming a gender perspective in all policies
and programmes, so that, before decisions are taken, an analysis is made of the effects
for women and men, respectively.
Increase women's access throughout the life cycle to appropriate,
affordable and quality health care, information and related services
Actions to be taken
106. By Governments, in collaboration with non-governmental organizations
and employers' and workers' organizations and with the support of international
institutions:
(a) Support and implement the commitments made in the Programme of Action of the
International Conference on Population and Development, as established in the report of
that Conference and the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of
Action of the World Summit for Social Development 15/ and the obligations of States
parties under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women and other relevant international agreements, to meet the health needs of girls and
women of all ages; (b) Reaffirm the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable
standards of physical and mental health, protect and promote the attainment of this right
for women and girls and incorporate it in national legislation, for example; review
existing legislation, including health legislation, as well as policies, where necessary,
to reflect a commitment to women's health and to ensure that they meet the changing roles
and responsibilities of women wherever they reside;
(c) Design and implement, in cooperation with women and community-based organizations,
gender-sensitive health programmes, including decentralized health services, that address
the needs of women throughout their lives and take into account their multiple roles and
responsibilities, the demands on their time, the special needs of rural women and women
with disabilities and the diversity of women's needs arising from age and socio-economic
and cultural differences, among others; include women, especially local and indigenous
women, in the identification and planning of health-care priorities and programmes; remove
all barriers to women's health services and provide a broad range of health-care services;
(d) Allow women access to social security systems in equality with men throughout the
whole life cycle;
(e) Provide more accessible, available and affordable primary health- care services of
high quality, including sexual and reproductive health care, which includes family
planning information and services, and giving particular attention to maternal and
emergency obstetric care, as agreed to in the Programme of Action of the International
Conference on Population and Development;
(f) Redesign health information, services and training for health workers so that they are
gender-sensitive and reflect the user's perspectives with regard to interpersonal and
communications skills and the user's right to privacy and confidentiality; these services,
information and training should be based on a holistic approach;
(g) Ensure that all health services and workers conform to human rights and to ethical,
professional and gender-sensitive standards in the delivery of women's health services
aimed at ensuring responsible, voluntary and informed consent; encourage the development,
implementation and dissemination of codes of ethics guided by existing international codes
of medical ethics as well as ethical principles that govern other health professionals;
(h) Take all appropriate measures to eliminate harmful, medically unnecessary or coercive
medical interventions, as well as inappropriate medication and over-medication of women,
and ensure that all women are fully informed of their options, including likely benefits
and potential side-effects, by properly trained personnel;
(i) Strengthen and reorient health services, particularly primary health care, in order to
ensure universal access to quality health services for women and girls; reduce ill health
and maternal morbidity and achieve world wide the agreed-upon goal of reducing maternal
mortality by at least 50 per cent of the 1990 levels by the year 2000 and a further one
half by the year 2015; ensure that the necessary services are available at each level of
the health system and make reproductive health care accessible, through the primary
health-care system, to all individuals of appropriate ages as soon as possible and no
later than the year 2015; (j) Recognize and deal with the health impact of unsafe abortion
as a major public health concern, as agreed in paragraph 8.25 of the Programme of Action
of the International Conference on Population and Development; 14/
(k) In the light of paragraph 8.25 of the Programme of Action of the International
Conference on Population and Development, which states: "In no case should abortion
be promoted as a method of family planning. All Governments and relevant intergovernmental
and non-governmental organizations are urged to strengthen their commitment to women's
health, to deal with the health impact of unsafe abortion 16/ as a major public health
concern and to reduce the recourse to abortion through expanded and improved
family-planning services. Prevention of unwanted pregnancies must always be given the
highest priority and every attempt should be made to eliminate the need for abortion.
Women who have unwanted pregnancies should have ready access to reliable information and
compassionate counselling. Any measures or changes related to abortion within the health
system can only be determined at the national or local level according to the national
legislative process. In circumstances where abortion is not against the law, such abortion
should be safe. In all cases, women should have access to quality services for the
management of complications arising from abortion. Post-abortion counselling, education
and family-planning services should be offered promptly, which will also help to avoid
repeat abortions", consider reviewing laws containing punitive measures against women
who have undergone illegal abortions;
(l) Give particular attention to the needs of girls, especially the promotion of healthy
behaviour, including physical activities; take specific measures for closing the gender
gaps in morbidity and mortality where girls are disadvantaged, while achieving
internationally approved goals for the reduction of infant and child mortality -
specifically, by the year 2000, the reduction of mortality rates of infants and children
under five years of age by one third of the 1990 level, or 50 to 70 per 1,000 live births,
whichever is less; by the year 2015 an infant mortality rate below 35 per 1,000 live
births and an under-five mortality rate below 45 per 1,000;
(m) Ensure that girls have continuing access to necessary health and nutrition information
and services as they mature, to facilitate a healthful transition from childhood to
adulthood;
(n) Develop information, programmes and services to assist women to understand and adapt
to changes associated with ageing and to address and treat the health needs of older
women, paying particular attention to those who are physically or psychologically
dependent;
(o) Ensure that girls and women of all ages with any form of disability receive supportive
services;
(p) Formulate special policies, design programmes and enact the legislation necessary to
alleviate and eliminate environmental and occupational health hazards associated with work
in the home, in the workplace and elsewhere with attention to pregnant and lactating
women;
(q) Integrate mental health services into primary health-care systems or other appropriate
levels, develop supportive programmes and train primary health workers to recognize and
care for girls and women of all ages who have experienced any form of violence especially
domestic violence, sexual abuse or other abuse resulting from armed and non-armed
conflict;
(r) Promote public information on the benefits of breast-feeding; examine ways and means
of implementing fully the WHO/UNICEF International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk
Substitutes, and enable mothers to breast-feed their infants by providing legal, economic,
practical and emotional support;
(s) Establish mechanisms to support and involve non-governmental organizations,
particularly women's organizations, professional groups and other bodies working to
improve the health of girls and women, in government policy-making, programme design, as
appropriate, and implementation within the health sector and related sectors at all
levels; (t) Support non-governmental organizations working on women's health and help
develop networks aimed at improving coordination and collaboration between all sectors
that affect health;
(u) Rationalize drug procurement and ensure a reliable, continuous supply of high-quality
pharmaceutical, contraceptive and other supplies and equipment, using the WHO Model List
of Essential Drugs as a guide, and ensure the safety of drugs and devices through national
regulatory drug approval processes;
(v) Provide improved access to appropriate treatment and rehabilitation services for women
substance abusers and their families;
(w) Promote and ensure household and national food security, as appropriate, and implement
programmes aimed at improving the nutritional status of all girls and women by
implementing the commitments made in the Plan of Action on Nutrition of the International
Conference on Nutrition, 17/ including a reduction world wide of severe and moderate
malnutrition among children under the age of five by one half of 1990 levels by the year
2000, giving special attention to the gender gap in nutrition, and a reduction in iron
deficiency anaemia in girls and women by one third of the 1990 levels by the year 2000;
(x) Ensure the availability of and universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation
and put in place effective public distribution systems as soon as possible;
(y) Ensure full and equal access to health-care infrastructure and services for indigenous
women.
Strengthen preventive programmes that promote women's health
Actions to be taken
107. By Governments, in cooperation with non-governmental organizations,
the mass media, the private sector and relevant international organizations, including
United Nations bodies, as appropriate:
(a) Give priority to both formal and informal educational programmes that support and
enable women to develop self-esteem, acquire knowledge, make decisions on and take
responsibility for their own health, achieve mutual respect in matters concerning
sexuality and fertility and educate men regarding the importance of women's health and
well-being, placing special focus on programmes for both men and women that emphasize the
elimination of harmful attitudes and practices, including female genital mutilation, son
preference (which results in female infanticide and prenatal sex selection), early
marriage, including child marriage, violence against women, sexual exploitation, sexual
abuse, which at times is conducive to infection with HIV/AIDS and other sexually
transmitted diseases, drug abuse, discrimination against girls and women in food
allocation and other harmful attitudes and practices related to the life, health and
well-being of women, and recognizing that some of these practices can be violations of
human rights and ethical medical principles;
(b) Pursue social, human development, education and employment policies to eliminate
poverty among women in order to reduce their susceptibility to ill health and to improve
their health;
(c) Encourage men to share equally in child care and household work and to provide their
share of financial support for their families, even if they do not live with them;
(d) Reinforce laws, reform institutions and promote norms and practices that eliminate
discrimination against women and encourage both women and men to take responsibility for
their sexual and reproductive behaviour; ensure full respect for the integrity of the
person, take action to ensure the conditions necessary for women to exercise their
reproductive rights and eliminate coercive laws and practices;
(e) Prepare and disseminate accessible information, through public health campaigns, the
media, reliable counselling and the education system, designed to ensure that women and
men, particularly young people, can acquire knowledge about their health, especially
information on sexuality and reproduction, taking into account the rights of the child to
access to information, privacy, confidentiality, respect and informed consent, as well as
the responsibilities, rights and duties of parents and legal guardians to provide, in a
manner consistent with the evolving capacities of the child, appropriate direction and
guidance in the exercise by the child of the rights recognized in the Convention on the
Rights of the Child, and in conformity with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against Women; ensure that in all actions concerning children, the best
interests of the child are a primary consideration;
(f) Create and support programmes in the educational system, in the workplace and in the
community to make opportunities to participate in sport, physical activity and recreation
available to girls and women of all ages on the same basis as they are made available to
men and boys; (g) Recognize the specific needs of adolescents and implement specific
appropriate programmes, such as education and information on sexual and reproductive
health issues and on sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, taking into
account the rights of the child and the responsibilities, rights and duties of parents as
stated in paragraph 107 (e) above;
(h) Develop policies that reduce the disproportionate and increasing burden on women who
have multiple roles within the family and the community by providing them with adequate
support and programmes from health and social services;
(i) Adopt regulations to ensure that the working conditions, including remuneration and
promotion of women at all levels of the health system, are non-discriminatory and meet
fair and professional standards to enable them to work effectively;
(j) Ensure that health and nutritional information and training form an integral part of
all adult literacy programmes and school curricula from the primary level;
(k) Develop and undertake media campaigns and information and educational programmes that
inform women and girls of the health and related risks of substance abuse and addiction
and pursue strategies and programmes that discourage substance abuse and addiction and
promote rehabilitation and recovery;
(l) Devise and implement comprehensive and coherent programmes for the prevention,
diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis, a condition that predominantly affects women;
(m) Establish and/or strengthen programmes and services, including media campaigns, that
address the prevention, early detection and treatment of breast, cervical and other
cancers of the reproductive system;
(n) Reduce environmental hazards that pose a growing threat to health, especially in poor
regions and communities; apply a precautionary approach, as agreed to in the Rio
Declaration on Environment and Development, adopted by the United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development, 18/ and include reporting on women's health risks related to
the environment in monitoring the implementation of Agenda 21; 19/
(o) Create awareness among women, health professionals, policy makers and the general
public about the serious but preventable health hazards stemming from tobacco consumption
and the need for regulatory and education measures to reduce smoking as important health
promotion and disease prevention activities;
(p) Ensure that medical school curricula and other health-care training include
gender-sensitive, comprehensive and mandatory courses on women's health;
(q) Adopt specific preventive measures to protect women, youth and children from any abuse
- sexual abuse, exploitation, trafficking and violence, for example - including the
formulation and enforcement of laws, and provide legal protection and medical and other
assistance.
Undertake gender-sensitive initiatives that address sexually
transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, and sexual and reproductive health issues
Actions to be taken
108. By Governments, international bodies including relevant United
Nations organizations, bilateral and multilateral donors and non-governmental
organizations:
(a) Ensure the involvement of women, especially those infected with HIV/AIDS or other
sexually transmitted diseases or affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, in all decision-making
relating to the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and
programmes on HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases;
(b) Review and amend laws and combat practices, as appropriate, that may contribute to
women's susceptibility to HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases, including
enacting legislation against those socio-cultural practices that contribute to it, and
implement legislation, policies and practices to protect women, adolescents and young
girls from discrimination related to HIV/AIDS;
(c) Encourage all sectors of society, including the public sector, as well as
international organizations, to develop compassionate and supportive, non-discriminatory
HIV/AIDS-related policies and practices that protect the rights of infected individuals;
(d) Recognize the extent of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in their countries, taking particularly
into account its impact on women, with a view to ensuring that infected women do not
suffer stigmatization and discrimination, including during travel;
(e) Develop gender-sensitive multisectoral programmes and strategies to end social
subordination of women and girls and to ensure their social and economic empowerment and
equality; facilitate promotion of programmes to educate and enable men to assume their
responsibilities to prevent HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases;
(f) Facilitate the development of community strategies that will protect women of all ages
from HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases; provide care and support to infected
girls, women and their families and mobilize all parts of the community in response to the
HIV/AIDS pandemic to exert pressure on all responsible authorities to respond in a timely,
effective, sustainable and gender-sensitive manner;
(g) Support and strengthen national capacity to create and improve gender-sensitive
policies and programmes on HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, including the
provision of resources and facilities to women who find themselves the principal
caregivers or economic support for those infected with HIV/AIDS or affected by the
pandemic, and the survivors, particularly children and older persons;
(h) Provide workshops and specialized education and training to parents, decision makers
and opinion leaders at all levels of the community, including religious and traditional
authorities, on prevention of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases and on
their repercussions on both women and men of all ages;
(i) Give all women and health workers all relevant information and education about
sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS and pregnancy and the implications for
the baby, including breast- feeding;
(j) Assist women and their formal and informal organizations to establish and expand
effective peer education and outreach programmes and to participate in the design,
implementation and monitoring of these programmes;
(k) Give full attention to the promotion of mutually respectful and equitable gender
relations and, in particular, to meeting the educational and service needs of adolescents
to enable them to deal in a positive and responsible way with their sexuality;
(l) Design specific programmes for men of all ages and male adolescents, recognizing the
parental roles referred to in paragraph 107 (e) above, aimed at providing complete and
accurate information on safe and responsible sexual and reproductive behaviour, including
voluntary, appropriate and effective male methods for the prevention of HIV/AIDS and other
sexually transmitted diseases through, inter alia, abstinence and condom use;
(m) Ensure the provision, through the primary health-care system, of universal access of
couples and individuals to appropriate and affordable preventive services with respect to
sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, and expand the provision of counselling
and voluntary and confidential diagnostic and treatment services for women; ensure that
high-quality condoms as well as drugs for the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases
are, where possible, supplied and distributed to health services;
(n) Support programmes which acknowledge that the higher risk among women of contracting
HIV is linked to high-risk behaviour, including intravenous substance use and
substance-influenced unprotected and irresponsible sexual behaviour, and take appropriate
preventive measures;
(o) Support and expedite action-oriented research on affordable methods, controlled by
women, to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, on strategies empowering
women to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, and on
methods of care, support and treatment of women, ensuring their involvement in all aspects
of such research;
(p) Support and initiate research which addresses women's needs and situations, including
research on HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases in women, on
women-controlled methods of protection, such as non-spermicidal microbicides, and on male
and female risk-taking attitudes and practices.
Promote research and disseminate information on women's health
Actions to be taken
109. By Governments, the United Nations system, health professions,
research institutions, non-governmental organizations, donors, pharmaceutical industries
and the mass media, as appropriate:
(a) Train researchers and introduce systems that allow for the use of data collected,
analysed and disaggregated by, among other factors, sex and age, other established
demographic criteria and socio-economic variables, in policy-making, as appropriate,
planning, monitoring and evaluation;
(b) Promote gender-sensitive and women-centred health research, treatment and technology
and link traditional and indigenous knowledge with modern medicine, making information
available to women to enable them to make informed and responsible decisions;
(c) Increase the number of women in leadership positions in the health professions,
including researchers and scientists, to achieve equality at the earliest possible date;
(d) Increase financial and other support from all sources for preventive, appropriate
biomedical, behavioural, epidemiological and health service research on women's health
issues and for research on the social, economic and political causes of women's health
problems, and their consequences, including the impact of gender and age inequalities,
especially with respect to chronic and non-communicable diseases, particularly
cardiovascular diseases and conditions, cancers, reproductive tract infections and
injuries, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, domestic violence,
occupational health, disabilities, environmentally related health problems, tropical
diseases and health aspects of ageing;
(e) Inform women about the factors which increase the risks of developing cancers and
infections of the reproductive tract, so that they can make informed decisions about their
health;
(f) Support and fund social, economic, political and cultural research on how gender-based
inequalities affect women's health, including etiology, epidemiology, provision and
utilization of services and eventual outcome of treatment;
(g) Support health service systems and operations research to strengthen access and
improve the quality of service delivery, to ensure appropriate support for women as
health-care providers and to examine patterns with respect to the provision of health
services to women and use of such services by women;
(h) Provide financial and institutional support for research on safe, effective,
affordable and acceptable methods and technologies for the reproductive and sexual health
of women and men, including more safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods for
the regulation of fertility, including natural family planning for both sexes, methods to
protect against HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases and simple and
inexpensive methods of diagnosing such diseases, among others; this research needs to be
guided at all stages by users and from the perspective of gender, particularly the
perspective of women, and should be carried out in strict conformity with internationally
accepted legal, ethical, medical and scientific standards for biomedical research;
(i) Since unsafe abortion 16/ is a major threat to the health and life of women, research
to understand and better address the determinants and consequences of induced abortion,
including its effects on subsequent fertility, reproductive and mental health and
contraceptive practice, should be promoted, as well as research on treatment of
complications of abortions and post-abortion care;
(j) Acknowledge and encourage beneficial traditional health care, especially that
practised by indigenous women, with a view to preserving and incorporating the value of
traditional health care in the provision of health services, and support research directed
towards achieving this aim;
(k) Develop mechanisms to evaluate and disseminate available data and research findings to
researchers, policy makers, health professionals and women's groups, among others;
(l) Monitor human genome and related genetic research from the perspective of women's
health and disseminate information and results of studies conducted in accordance with
accepted ethical standards.
Increase resources and monitor follow-up for women's health
Actions to be taken
110. By Governments at all levels and, where appropriate, in cooperation
with non-governmental organizations, especially women's and youth organizations:
(a) Increase budgetary allocations for primary health care and social services, with
adequate support for secondary and tertiary levels, and give special attention to the
reproductive and sexual health of girls and women and give priority to health programmes
in rural and poor urban areas;
(b) Develop innovative approaches to funding health services through promoting community
participation and local financing; increase, where necessary, budgetary allocations for
community health centres and community-based programmes and services that address women's
specific health needs;
(c) Develop local health services, promoting the incorporation of gender-sensitive
community-based participation and self-care and specially designed preventive health
programmes;
(d) Develop goals and time-frames, where appropriate, for improving women's health and for
planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating programmes, based on gender-impact
assessments using qualitative and quantitative data disaggregated by sex, age, other
established demographic criteria and socio-economic variables;
(e) Establish, as appropriate, ministerial and inter-ministerial mechanisms for monitoring
the implementation of women's health policy and programme reforms and establish, as
appropriate, high- level focal points in national planning authorities responsible for
monitoring to ensure that women's health concerns are mainstreamed in all relevant
government agencies and programmes.
111. By Governments, the United Nations and its specialized agencies,
international financial institutions, bilateral donors and the private sector, as
appropriate:
(a) Formulate policies favourable to investment in women's health and, where appropriate,
increase allocations for such investment;
(b) Provide appropriate material, financial and logistical assistance to youth
non-governmental organizations in order to strengthen them to address youth concerns in
the area of health, including sexual and reproductive health;
(c) Give higher priority to women's health and develop mechanisms for coordinating and
implementing the health objectives of the Platform for Action and relevant international
agreements to ensure progress.
* The Holy See expressed a general reservation on this section. The
reservation is to be interpreted in terms of the statement made by the representative of
the Holy See at the 4th meeting of the Main Committee, on 14 September 1995 (see chap. V
of the present report, para. 11).
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